New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-08
DYNAMITE WORKS BLOWN UP
ONE MAN KILLED BY THE EXPLOSION.
ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT THE DIrMAR FACTORY NEAR
RAYCHESIER.

ANOTHER ACCIDENT AT THE DITMAR FACTORY NEAR
BAYCHEsrER
The dynamite works of Mrs. Mary A. Ditmar, at
Baychester on the Sound, blew up tor the fifth time
at IL 50 o'clock yesterday afternoon killing one man
md ieyeing the buildings to the gIound usual The
last EXPLOSION was ON September 30. when four Ger
mans employed in the packing house were blown 10
atoms. Mrs. Ditmar Indicted Tor MAINTAINING
nuisance on complaint OF the citizens living IN the i'm
mediate neighborhood. and she was tried before the
Supreme Court and jury verdict OF not guilty
was rendered She then caused the building wnch
had been blown up to be rebuilt and the ~ork OF
making dynamite, or rather O preparation OF nitro
gycerine, which is used on the new aqueduct, went
on again.
The explosion yesterday in the mixing house,
which stands close by the water of the inlet, beside
the Harlem River Branch OF the New Haven hall oad
The only person in the building at the time was Henry
Altinger, German aborer, age twenty'there be had
been at work with the Ditmars for aoout six months
and was preparing TO go home TO Germany. lie was
adding the chemicals to vat OF the explosive Inc
vessel was open at the top and was iiDed Win lead
In the manufacture OF this mixture 1t IA necessary 10
keep the temperature down TO certain point. which
Is kept secret. The operator evidently allowed the
temperature to rise too high and the explosion fol-
lowed.
Max Kruger, the foreman, had just left the mixing
house and had almost reached the boiler house, when
he was stunned by the crash and the flying debris
Kruger has been the hero of the last three explosions
having on each left the fated building just
before the catastrophe and on each occasion has es
caped unhurt When he recovered from the shock yes
terday he found himself surrounded with broken and
splintered timbers and fragments OF Atingers body
There were about 900 pounds OF gycerne in the YES
sell but that enough to blow the house to. atoms
and everything it contained. The building was about
thirteen by twenty-iour feet two stories high and
built OF rough boards There is not a vestIge OF it
LETT except small black sDlinters about three or four
inches long. The site of the building il marked by
hoe about feet deep and twenty feet in diamater
Altingers body could not oil be found. Coroner
Tice gathered up some teeth, the skull and foof
which were put into q packing box and viewed by
iurv which was Immediately summoned.
The explosion astOnished the country people for
miles around, and some Threatening language was
used bv the people who have known explosion after
explosion on the spot. The shock felt as tar
as Port Chester. 1t shook the court house in White
Plains distinctly that the officers thought there had
been an earthquake: but somebody teiephcned 10
Westcheser and ascertained the cause. At New
Rochelle the explosion shook the houses until the
windows ratified and at Mt Vernon number OF peo-
Die ran out of their homes rearing earthquake In
n number OF houses the ceilings and walls were
c ackod At the Baychester Station. about thousand
wards from the scene of the explosion the glass was
nearly all broken In Bridgeport the people thought
that they hao ielt an earthquake.
The villages of Flushing WhitestOne, Locust al
ley Glen Cove. Port Washington aud Sands Point, on
the north side of Long Island, were badly shaken up
by the explosion The inhabitants in some OF the VII
lagos rushed into the street At Sands Point and
Port Washington The shock was felt most severely.
Bottles in the village drug store were shaken oil the
shelves at Port Washington.